Secret Service Teaches Malia Obama How to Drive

The Secret Service has stepped out of its lane of protection to assist in another crucial task for the first family: teaching teenaged Malia Obama how to drive, CNN reports.

First lady Michelle Obama revealed the details in an interview with television cook Rachael Ray for a show that will air Thursday, CNN said.

"The Secret Service [taught her], actually, because they wouldn't let me in the car with her," Obama told Ray, adding that she hasn't been behind the wheel in several years, having been driven during her family's White House years.

The first lady added during an appearance on "Live! With Kelly and Michael" that she didn't know what to tell her eldest daughter, 16, when she wanted to know what to do when parking in a public lot.

"I barely know now too, so I have to check with other sources," she said.

For those District of Columbia residents who think they may have spotted Malia behind the wheel, the truth is that it's likely, Obama revealed, noting that her daughter has driven on her own, CNN said.

"She always has security around, but in order for her to learn how to drive, she had to drive on her own. So, once she was legally permitted to drive on her own, she gets in her car."

Obama told Ray that it was important to allow her oldest child to live a typical life for someone her age, in spite of her family's high-profile roles, including getting a first set of wheels.

"Driving for Malia, I think, gives her a sense of normalcy, like the rest of her friends are doing," Obama said. "And my kids have got to learn how to live in the world like normal kids."

Last summer, the president and first lady gifted Malia on her 16th birthday, July 4, with a new car, Hollywood Life reported.

No details were available on the make and model, the celebrity website noted.

Malia Obama, who received her learner's permit at 16, will have to wait until she turns 17 this summer to receive her full driver's license, The Daily Caller noted, citing District of Columbia law.

"Drivers with a permit can drive, but only in the company of something 21 years or older who possesses a valid driver’s license. That driver must sit next to the driver in the front seat at all times," the Daily Caller said, noting that learner's permit drivers have specific hours when they can hit the road.